Sweetheart
by snarkysweetness
Summary: In which Grant Ward comes home to an angry toddler.


**Title:** Sweetheart  
 **Author:** snarkysweetness  
 **Rating:** PG  
 **Pairing:** Skyeward with their baby girl, Alice, & Melinda  
 **Summary:** In which Grant Ward comes home to an angry toddler.  
 **Warnings:** None.  
 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing.  
 **Author's Notes:** Alice Ward is a gem.

Grant Ward was used to being greeted by a screeching toddler running into his arms so when he walked into the house to terrified screams to say he was taken aback was an understatement.

"MAMA THERE IS A BAD MAN HERE!" Alice screamed, running away from him.

Ouch. That hurt.

"Sweetheart," Grant called for his wife, not sure what had gotten into their toddler but needing her to fix it, so he could have the daddy-daughter time he'd been looking forward to for weeks.

Had he been away on this mission for so long his own child had forgotten him?

Skye entered the room, rolling her eyes while holding their little girl in her arms.

"Monkey, there's no one here but daddy."

"That's not my daddy!" She sobbed, big fat tears spilling from her eyes.

"I wasn't gone that long," he whined. "Skye, talk to her."

Alice's face turned red. "Who is 'Skye'? You're not my daddy! Make the man go away and bring daddy home, mama!"

Skye pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.

"Baby girl, 'Skye' is mama's name."

Alice stared up at Skye, making a face. "That not true! Mama's name is 'sweetheart'!"

Now Grant was the one laughing but his little girl was not amused.

"Baby girl, 'sweetheart' is just what daddy calls your mama."

"You're not my daddy!" Alice screamed again, her face as red as a tomato. "This my daddy!" She yelled, pointing to a picture on the refrigerator from their last trip to the zoo. In it he was still sporting the beard he'd been forced to shave off for this mission.

Ah, that was it.

"Baby girl, it's me," he insisted.

"Why you call mama the wrong name, then?"

He sighed. "Alice, mama's real name is 'Skye'."

"Nu uh," she argued. "Lăolao and papa call her 'sweetheart' too! 'Cause it her name!"

"Oh princess," Skye chuckled. "It's just a nickname. Like when I call daddy 'baby'. You know that's not his name."

Alice sighed loudly and dramatically. "But daddy _is_ a big baby."

"Hey!" He cried out, offended.

"It's true," a voice called from the other room.

" _Mom_ ," Skye complained.

"Lăolao!" Alice cried, squirming her way out of Skye's arms before running into the other room. "What is mama's real name?"

Skye and Grant reluctantly followed their angry toddler.

"You look good," Skye whispered, reaching out to stroke his bare cheek.

"I feel naked," he complained. "I miss my beard."

She smiled. "I do too but this isn't so bad." She leaned up to kiss him and Alice began screeching again.

"You only allowed to kiss daddy!"

Groaning, Skye plucked their toddler up and carried her to a large picture frame with a collage of older pictures.

"Look, there's mama and daddy when we got married," Skye pointed. He'd been clean-shaven that day and Alice looked between him and the picture, but she was the child of spies, so she wasn't convinced. "And _this_ is the day you were born." He'd had the bushiest beard he'd ever sported that day, having rushed home from an op when Skye went into labor early. "See, daddy usually has a trimmed beard, but you can see sometimes he has a big beard and sometimes he has no beard but that's what his face looks like without it," she insisted, pointing in his direction.

Grant held his arms out with a pout, wanting his overdue hug.

Alice eyed him warily and glanced back up at Skye. "You sure that's my daddy?"

"I've been asking that for years," May muttered.

" _Mom_."

"Mama name really 'Skye', lăolao?"

May smirked and gave her a nod. "That's what your papa and I put on her birth certificate."

Alice moved her eyes back towards Grant and studied his face. "What my favorite food?"

He grinned. "Pumpkin pancakes, just like daddy."

"Daddy!" She cried, holding her arms out for him.

Smiling, he took her from Skye and crushed her to his chest before showring her face in kisses.

Alice giggled loudly. "I miss the way beard tickles, daddy."

"It'll grow back."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Okay, time to play now, daddy. You were gone for a _long_ time," she complained dramatically.

"Baby, I think daddy wants to get some rest," Skye called as he carried Alice towards her playroom.

"Nah, we're good," he insisted. Sure, he was exhausted, and it would be nice to shower and sleep in his own bed, but he'd never pass up the chance to spend time with his baby girl.

Of course, even little girls needed to sleep so when they both could no longer contain their yawns he held her to his chest while they napped on the couch. And when he woke she was still snoring peacefully and he glanced up to find his wife leaning against the doorframe, watching them with a smile.

"You look really good holding a baby, Ward," she teased.

"Yeah? Care to join us?"

Shrugging, Skye sauntered into the room and curled up at his side, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"You know, she gets that bad attitude from you."

Grant snorted. "Sure, sweetheart." This child was all Skye with his eyes, so she was perfect.

"At least we know she's very aware of stranger danger."

"Not funny," he pouted, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of Alice's head.

Skye kissed his cheek. "She's a little girl, she's not used to your bare face. Don't take it personally."

"I know, but the way she looked at me-"

Skye grabbed him by the chin and made him look at her. "She adores you. All she did while you were gone was ask when you'd be home. And when she thought some random man was making moves on me, she stood up for you."

"Good girl," he grunted, still wounded.

"You really are a big baby," Skye laughed, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Am not," he complained, wrapping one arm around Skye while keeping the other around Alice.

"Love you, big baby," Skye muttered, reaching up to pat his cheek.

"Love you too, sweetheart."


End file.
